Communist Party chief Xi Jinping pledged to curb official “empty talk” and shorten state media reports about leaders’ activities during his first weeks at the party’s helm.

It seems state news agency Xinhua missed the memo.

Xinhua in recent days has published lengthy profiles of members of China’s new Politburo Standing Committee that have been widely reprinted in Chinese media. The seven-man standing committee is the party highest decision-making body, and its inner workings are almost entirely opaque.

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The profiles seemed to be a well-intentioned nod to lift the veil of secrecy long surrounding party leaders. The articles’ obsequiousness, however, was a reminder how far Mr. Xi and other newly anointed leaders have to go if they’re serious about following through on pledges to reconnect the party to the people.

“From the Loess Plateau to the southeast coast, from localities to central leadership, Xi has had a well-rounded political career and has developed a deep understanding of the conditions of his country and people,” gushed the Xinhua profile of Mr. Xi. The article’s English version, published Sunday, sprawled some 3,000 words.

The profiles’ thrusts are all roughly the same: China’s newest generation of leaders rose through individual hard work and sacrifice, but never lost their affinity for China’s laobaixing, or common folks.

To underscore the point, Xinhua published more than a dozen photos of Mr. Xi in his younger – and slightly trimmer – days that have been widely reposted on Chinese news websites. One photo shows Mr. Xi smiling with villagers in the northern province of Hebei, where he served as a young cadre. Another photo shows Mr. Xi bicycling with daughter Xi Mingze seated on the back, clutching at her father’s waist.

There’s reason for skepticism toward Mr. Xi’s calls for reform and fighting against bureaucratic formalities. As David Bandurski of the China Media Project pointed out in a recent blog post, much of what Mr. Xi is advocating has been promoted in one flavor-of-the-week campaign or another throughout the party’s history.

But Xinhua seemed to sum up one of the biggest challenges facing China’s new leaders when it quoted new standing committee member Liu Yunshan as often telling colleagues: “Get down to earth.”

Mr. Liu, who is expected to oversee the sprawling propaganda apparatus in his new standing committee position, will be among those shaping new leaders’ images. The lengthy Xinhua profile said Mr. Liu “dislikes official jargon, empty talk or ostentation in media.”

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